Yayoi Ikawa
(pianist/keyboardist/composer/arranger/educator)
“Yayoi is a wonder that comes along very rarely in each generation. A big intellect, with a big emotional spectrum, and totally unique sound... She can do anything she thinks or feels"
— Gil Goldstein (arranger/pianist)
I cry in music so that people don't have to cry alone. Born in Tokyo but raised musically in New York, Yayoi Ikawa is an experience in ingenuity and compassion. The open-minded attitude that New York City nurtured in her has brought her music to the world — not only touring with her New York colleagues, but creating collaboration projects with local musicians across five continents. As a pianist, keyboardist, composer, arranger, educator and bandleader, Yayoi has worked with legendary artists including Reggie Workman, Michael Carvin, Howard Johnson, Craig Harris, Lonnie Plaxico, Emeline Michel, Daniel Bernard Roumain, Tyshawn Sorey, Carla Cook, Ansel Cridland of The Meditations and interdisciplinary artist Carrie Mae Weems....
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Yayoi Ikawa
(pianist/keyboardist/composer/arranger/educator)
“Yayoi is a wonder that comes along very rarely in each generation. A big intellect, with a big emotional spectrum, and totally unique sound... She can do anything she thinks or feels"
— Gil Goldstein (arranger/pianist)
I cry in music so that people don't have to cry alone. Born in Tokyo but raised musically in New York, Yayoi Ikawa is an experience in ingenuity and compassion. The open-minded attitude that New York City nurtured in her has brought her music to the world — not only touring with her New York colleagues, but creating collaboration projects with local musicians across five continents. As a pianist, keyboardist, composer, arranger, educator and bandleader, Yayoi has worked with legendary artists including Reggie Workman, Michael Carvin, Howard Johnson, Craig Harris, Lonnie Plaxico, Emeline Michel, Daniel Bernard Roumain, Tyshawn Sorey, Carla Cook, Ansel Cridland of The Meditations and interdisciplinary artist Carrie Mae Weems.
After recording her straight ahead jazz piano trio Angel Eyes (Nippon Crown, 2004) and self-producing Color of Dreams (2005) — featuring Tyshawn Sorey on drums — Yayoi toured with the album in Japan and Italy. In 2008, Yayoi launched The Bridge Project to create musical dialogue between New York and international musicians in experimental environments. The project has since toured Costa Rica (2009, U.S. Embassy sponsorship), Martinique (2018, Piano Kon Sa Ka Ekri festival), and Guadeloupe (Première Rencontre Autour du Piano). In 2019, her ensemble featuring Haitian vocalist Emeline Michel performed at Sakura Matsuri in Brooklyn Botanical Garden. During 2020–21, she served as assistant producer and host for "Love Letter from NY," a streaming concert series featuring New York's finest jazz pianists that aired in the USA and Japan.
In 2021, Yayoi appeared on the soundtrack of the acclaimed film Judas and the Black Messiah, alongside Craig Harris and composer Mark Isham. In 2023, Yayoi performed at the KZN International Jazz Festival in Durban, South Africa, sharing the stage with Richard Bona, which led to a successful nationwide trio tour with South African musicians. That same year, she was featured at the UNESCO International Jazz Day concert in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. She was also invited to the International Women's Day celebration in Cotonou, Benin, where she performed and mentored young female artists from Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Togo, and South Africa alongside her collaborator and master percussionist Jah Baba. Her current Bridge Project is in Cuba, where she made many friends during research trips in 2024. Her ensembles have performed at RomerÃas de Mayo in HolguÃn, Festival Caribe in Santiago de Cuba, and Casa Vitier GarcÃa Marruz in Havana. In 2024, Yayoi appeared on Radiance, the critically acclaimed album by master bassist Lonnie Plaxico.
As a composer and arranger, Yayoi has received commissions from the Modern Music Society of Tokyo and the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company. While pursuing her master's degree at NYU, her orchestral work for film premiered at Lincoln Center in 2007.
As a leader and sideman, Yayoi has performed at prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, Kennedy Center, Blue Note New York, and has appeared at international festivals including the Montreal Jazz Festival and the KZN International Jazz Festival in South Africa.
Yayoi studied piano with Gerald D'Angelo, LeeAnn Ledgerwood, and Geri Allen at The New School University, graduating with a scholarship. At New York University, she studied piano with Vijay Iyer and Jean-Michel Pilc, and composition with Gil Goldstein and Ira Newborn. She also holds a bachelor's degree in International Studies from International Christian University in Tokyo. Yayoi has served as Music Director at First Baptist Church in Piscataway, NJ, and has taught jazz piano at City College of New York and Brooklyn College.
www.yayoiikawa.net
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